Top 10 Games I’m Looking Forward to Post-E3 2019

When I was publishing every day, I was prideful in trying to varietize my posts so that one topic didn’t seem to take priority. This is no longer the case: I’m in a pretty rigid video game craze right now. Post E3, it’s only strengthened my desire to play and play some more, especially after seeing all the big companies had in store for the future. To release some of this energy, I thought I’d do a Top 10 list of the games I’m most looking forward to post-E3.

A few disclaimers before jumping in, as has become customary on my blog, for whatever reason:

The list will consist of games only shown at the latest E3. They didn’t have to be revealed at this specific E3, but so long as it was shown in some capacity, it counts.

I like Nintendo—a lot. To some degree, Nintendo is all I care about. Knowing this, expect many first-party Nintendo titles. They won’t all be, but most definitely will.

#10 – Oninaki (Square Enix)

I told you they wouldn’t all be Nintendo titles!

During the Square Enix conference, one of only two E3 conferences I actually watched live, they showed off a new game called Oninaki. Before stating anything else, I wanted to remind the audience that I’m a weeb and weeb aesthetics tend to grab me. At the same time, I generally think the more “anime-esque” type of JRPG with serious psycho-analytical proportions are dumb and hard to take seriously. Even so, something about this game grabbed me.

Perhaps it was the in-game graphical style, which reminded me somewhat of Märchen Forest. Maybe it was part of the trailer where the characters were shown blasting a billion bullets onscreen. Some part of me saw this game and thought, “This looks kind of neat(?).” Depending on the price, I may just pick it up and give it a shot. And though I remain strangely interested in it, I don’t doubt the story will make me drop it a couple hours in. Seriously, it’s hilariously heavy.

#9 – The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Nintendo)

In all honesty, I’m not quite as fond of this title as maybe a typical Nintendo fan should be. To me, Link’s Awakening looks like a cute little time-consumer on the same vein as Tri-force Heroes or Four Swords Adventures. Perhaps I’ll be wrong, but the trailers give the impression that I’ll like the game, but I won’t love it.

This may be an unpopular opinion, and especially ironic given the initial fan reaction to the design of Wind Waker, but I’m still not overly fond of the look of the game. I don’t hate it or even dislike it. I just think it’s a little too cutesy/chibi. That may be why I underestimate the seriousness or legitimacy of the game as a full-on Zelda-esque adventure of enthrallment. (Again, ironic.)

Even with my own hesitancy, I do really like the idea behind remaking a classic Zelda game originally for a handheld system and buffering it up to something bigger and better. Nintendo did similarly for Metroid: Samus Returns (except it wasn’t for the Switch), and I adore that game. It’s entirely possible that I’ll eat my words and this will end up being a GOTY candidate. Whatever happens, I’m looking forward to playing it.

#8 – Gods & Monsters (Ubisoft)

This one is a bit strange. It is also based on the belief of potential and little more. Many saw the trailer for this and immediately proclaimed it a fusion of Breath of the Wild and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. I, having no experience (or interest) in Assassin’s Creed, am hoping it’s more like the former.

This could also be the case of a game winning me over with its visual aesthetic. If one watched the Ubisoft conference, they’d notice that everything was very, very gray. Everything seemed to be hyper-realistic and muddy and grainy. It was, personally, very disgusting. And then this showed up and suddenly color! Oh, how lovely it looked after watching nothing but gray skies and darkness! It looks great. But otherwise, no one knows anything about it.

Through its trailer, one is given a short voiceover explaining some generic “You are the chosen one” garbage, then continues to inform you that it’s from the team that brought you Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Nothing in terms of gameplay is shown—it’s all cinematic. So for me, it’s all fantasy at this point. What this game could end up being is anyone’s guess. But perhaps the optimist in me is thinking this game could end up being something substantial.

#7 – Cyberpunk 2077 (Microsoft)

Everyone seems to be creaming their pants over Keanu Reeves. I get it, he’s in John Wick and it’s cool that such a high-profile actor provided their likeness for a game. Really though, is that really all the game has to offer? It looks great regardless.

Speaking honestly, I haven’t seen too much from Cyberpunk 2077 in terms of trailers or build-up media. The only trailers I have seen did the trick, however, and the notoriety behind its developer also helps. My brother just got done playing The Witcher 3 a few days ago, and he adored the game. He’s not the only one—The Witcher 3 has near-unanimous praise for its gameplay and story. Now, they’re working on a game that focuses on futuristic sci-fi aesthetic, which appeals to me greatly? Hell yeah.

Even so, there’s never been a moment shown in a trailer or discussed about the gameplay that has awed me into a manic state. For that alone, this game remains somewhat low here. There’s massive amounts of potential here and many people are expecting it to be a modern masterpiece. I’ll very likely pick it up, but whatever happens happens.

#6 – Trials of Mana (Nintendo)

Fun fact: I played Secret of Mana for about ten minutes a few years back. I ended it by saying, “Ugh, this feels old and gross and I don’t like it!” Even so, the growing support and love for the game made me want to get back to it eventually. Perhaps I was too coddled by the conveniences of modern gaming? Nintendo seemed to have my back, because they announced that a Trials of Mana remake is being made for the Switch (it’s the sequel to Secret of Mana).

On top of that, a game called Collection of Mana is being made where all the Mana games come packed in one collection, localized for the west. How convenient! I can not only try out the old games, but check out the new game I may or may not want to play first because it looks funky fresh. Seriously though, the Trials of Mana trailer had a lot of weeb charm to it that made my heart melt.

The score, the animations, the basic health bars shown hovering around enemies as you let that HP drop in real time—it evoked nostalgia. Nostalgia! For a game franchise I’ve spent ten minutes total on! The trailer, despite its short length, did something for me. It made me want the game. Trailers for games don’t normally give me an emotional reaction, yet this one did. I want it. And Collection of Mana.

#5 – Final Fantasy VII Remake (Square Enix)

Similarly to the last game, I have no fond memories of Final Famtasy VII. Unlike the last game, I’ve never played Final Fantasy VII, and I’ve always wanted to. Final Fantasy in general seems like a franchise right up my alley, and for whatever reason never found myself playing it. Watching gameplay for FFVII Remake, I had hype flowing through my body like fatty blood.

It may very well come to be that I play the remake before the original, and I think it’d be a nice entryway into the franchise. I’ve looked into starting with a variety of games, whether the original or VI or IX. The remake looks incredibly promising, and the next huge thing from Square Enix.

There’s something about VII, too, that’s captivating. Maybe it’s the world, the legacy, the characters, or the complete mindfuckery that came with Sephiroth’s final boss fight. I have no playtime attributed to it, and yet I feel some connection to it. The remake is something I had been intrigued by since it was announced, and after seeing gameplay, I think I’m sold on it. Final Fantasy, here I finally come!

#4 – Pokémon Sword & Shield (Nintendo)

I’ll keep my description for this one short, as most of my feelings on the game haven’t changed since writing my thoughts on its latest direct.

For the first time in years, Pokémon looks appealing again. With subtle open-world concepts and a flurry of cool-looking new pokémon, I only worry about the scope of the game’s story. Prior to writing this, two new pokémon were shown during Nintendo’s Treehouse event, which serve as the first two pokémon designs from the Galar region that I’m not fond of. I didn’t think I’d like them all, but the feeling’s still sour.

I really, really hope dynamaxing won’t be as big in the game as mega evolutions were previously.

#3 – Luigi’s Mansion 3 (Nintendo)

This is a shocking pick and placement. To you, the reader, that statement doesn’t make sense, knowing I’m a Nintendo fanatic. Rest assured, I understand your confusion, so let me explain:

I don’t really care for Luigi’s Mansion.

Remember what I said about Link’s Awakening up above about it potentially being a cute time-consumer with little else to offer? That’s similar to how I feel about the original Luigi’s Mansion. I never played Dark Moon because of that general apathy (and I heard “meh” things about it). When Luigi’s Mansion 3 was announced, I was a) stunned, and b) still pretty apathetic. “Good for Luigi’s Mansion fans, I guess.” This latest E3 showed much more about the game mechanics, and boy, did they sell me on it quickly.

Gooigi! What the fuck?! Slamming ghosts on the ground like an asshole! Yes! Exploring cavernous halls of a spooky, super-tall hotel, full of traps and weird shenanigans? Hey, that sounds pretty good! Everything I saw about Luigi’s Mansion 3 made me a believer: it will be the best the franchise has ever been, and I want to play a damn Luigi’s Mansion game! My youngest brother (a Luigi’s Mansion stan) has never been so thrilled.

#2 – Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Nintendo)

Ahhhhhhhhh, yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

So in this game, you’re shipped off to some deserted island by a profit-oriented tanuki where he bills you while on top of having you fend for yourself in the wilderness. Sounds like a great new Animal Crossing title to me.

I (and many others) have waited so long for a new mainline Animal Crossing game. The delay to 2020 sucks, but it’ll be worth the wait if anything shown in the trailer is as fun as it looks. The game looks fantastic, too. The villagers have never seemed so sheen, so colorful. Everything looks so modern and the nod to Breath of the Wild‘s emphasis on material collecting and crafting is such a great new mechanic for the game. I want it a lot.

While some may be turned off by such a stark difference, I, for one, welcome these new changes. I like the idea of building a town from scratch, as it better suits the flow of time and the effort it takes to build and to nurture. I can already see myself sitting pretty in “Kopoville,” where the grass is abundant and the townsfolk live in cozy cottages. I live in the wild, like a crazy person, collecting rocks and catching dangerous insects.

4 thoughts on “Top 10 Games I’m Looking Forward to Post-E3 2019”

Turned in to Square Enix’s presser for news on Remake. Game looks great, but I’m more concerned about what comes after. I don’t want to have to keep waiting several years to finish the story, and considering this only covers the first (although, by a significant margin, the biggest) city, it’s going to be a long wait to get to the entire world. I was hoping for three parts, but now based on what the producer said, four or five seems like a real possibility with some significant times between releases…